Robert Spencer | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/profile/robert-spencer
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Pamela Geller: defamed freedom fighter | Robert Spencerhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/oct/15/islam-religion
Charles Johnson's attempt to paint my colleague as a Muslim-hating extremist simply does not bear scrutiny<p>The fury of the attacks upon my colleague Pamela Geller is a measure of her effectiveness in raising awareness about issues relating to the Ground Zero mega-mosque, honour killing, the plight of apostates from Islam, and more. The enemies of free discourse, the free conscience and equality of rights for women cannot refute her, so instead, they try to destroy her personally, rendering her discredited and marginalised – even if they have to twist the truth and lie outright to accomplish this goal.</p><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/oct/13/ground-zero-islam">Charles Johnson's Comment is free article</a> was a prime example. Johnson called her an &quot;extreme rightwing blogger&quot; and claimed, without offering any evidence, that she had &quot;arguably done more than anyone else to incite fear and hatred over the so-called 'Ground Zero Mosque'&quot;. And with a puritanical distaste that he would sneer at if it came from any conservative, he claimed that the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/nyregion/10geller.html?_r=2&amp;pagewanted=all">New York Times profile of her</a> featured a photo of Pamela &quot;posing in her bikini&quot;. This, too, was false.</p><p>&quot;The target of her rage was usually (but not always) Muslims. And not just militants or terrorists, but all Muslims; Geller was quite clear, and stated often, that she didn't believe in the idea of a 'moderate Islam' at all. (Ironically, this is an opinion she shares with the leaders of al-Qaida, who insist that all Muslims must follow their extreme interpretation of Islam.)&quot;</p><p>I'd like to commend the general run of commenters for their gracious tone and willingness to engage new ideas.<br />Regarding the claims, repeated several times here, that the mosque at Ground Zero is neither a mosque nor at Ground Zero, in fact it is both. The Burlington Coat Factory building that will be torn down to build the mosque is part of the attack site, as the landing gear from one of the 9/11 planes crashed into its roof and fell five stories to the basement. The building is thus an essential part of Ground Zero itself, which will greatly enhance the mosque's symbolic value in the Islamic world as another triumphal mosque, a la the Al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount, the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul (the grandest cathedral in Christendom for a millennium, converted to a mosque in 1453, now a museum), and thousands of others throughout the Islamic world.<br /></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/oct/15/islam-religion">Continue reading...</a>IslamReligionUS newsGround ZeroThe far rightMon, 18 Oct 2010 12:30:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/oct/15/islam-religionRex FeaturesA rally against the proposed Islamic centre dubbed by protesters the 'Ground Zero Mosque', New York, 22 August 2010. Photograph: Rex FeaturesRex FeaturesA rally protesting against proposed 'Ground Zero Mosque', New York, on 22 August 2010. Photograph: Rex FeaturesRobert Spencer2010-10-18T12:30:01Z